


No Automail For Alchemy

by ErinPenwrite



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alchemy Kink, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Canon Compliant, Come as Lube, Dry Humor, M/M, NSFW, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-08-12 00:30:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7913401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinPenwrite/pseuds/ErinPenwrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy is visited by Edward five years after the battle in Central. Ed is troubled by his loss of alchemy and wants to gain it back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

"Stop that."

"What?" 

"Staring at me. It's creepy." Edward scowled back. 

Roy wasn't certain, but he could almost swear that he was looking up at Edward. It was a minute thing, definitely something that inspired study.

"You're still doing it!"

Roy blinked. "Sorry," here he politely demurred, "it's just that the last time we spoke, my sight had been taken. You've grown into a striking young man in your absence."

Edward frowned. Surprisingly enough, the expression suited his face, but Roy didn't want their first interaction in five years to be remembered negatively. 

"I can't tell if that was a compliment or a pot shot at my height, Colonel," Ed said. 

Roy raised a brow. "I assure you that it was nothing of the kind." Let him take that as he will, he thought. "And it's General, now."

Ed smirked, another expression that suited him. "Not until you acknowledge that you are shorter."

Free reign for further study approved, Roy took in every feature of the young man like a breath of fresh air. Seeing a flesh right hand made him do a double take, but he mentally kicked himself for not remembering something so monumental. For that matter, he'd not even had a chance to see a current picture of Alphonse, much less the real article, so his reaction to Edward's arm then became mildly more justified in his mind. He finally met Ed's eyes again, just as fiery as the day they had met. What could be motivating him this time, he wondered. "Heels and an incline of the floor," he said aloud, brow raised to ward off suspicion of his inspection. 

A grin stretched over Ed's teeth. "Colonel."

Roy laughed. "It's good to see you again. What brings you to my humble office?" He waved a hand at the room that was easily twice the size of his office when he was ranked as colonel.

"I've just come back from the west. The train for Resembool stops here before going on. Figured I'd pay my respects," Ed answered politely, taking a seat in front of the desk. 

Roy chuckled, taking a seat as well, "That's a first. How was the west?"

Ed smiled. "Enlightening."

"Anything you're willing to share?"

"Not yet, not until I meet with Al to verify it."

"Oh?"

"I'll admit," Ed leaned back, "not having my alchemy anymore is a bit more of a pain than I'd originally thought it would be, but Teacher kind of prepared me for it."

"She always seemed very practical every time we spoke."

"When's the last time?"

"Oh, not in years. Not since I regained my sight." Roy winced. It was not a topic he was quite comfortable bringing up in front of his former subordinate. 

Ed shrugged. "I guess it's been a while for me, too. I'll have to stop by there at some point."

"Is Al waiting for you in Resembool?"

"He should be there in a week or so. We were trying to surprise Winry."

"How long have you been traveling?"

"Three years or so."

"Without going home once?"

Ed laughed good naturedly. "Well, without a plot against the country to fight against or any questionable subjects of research, I've been out of danger for the most part."

"For the most post?"

He gave a look that embodied the sass and sarcasm which got him in and out of trouble all his life. 

"Oh, of course. Where has Al been all this time?"

"Xing. He's getting Mei Chang to teach him their form of alchemy."

"Is that so, Fullmetal? Are you planning to combine the two philosophies of alchemy in some new way?" Roy rested his chin on his palm. He really wanted to know what Ed had been discovering. 

Ed opened his mouth, ready to spout words freely, but then snapped it shut. He glared at Roy unabashedly. "I'm not your damned dog anymore. I don't have to tell you anything, and I won't until I know things for certain."

Roy chuckled. "Glad that I trained you well enough that you would still tell me."

"Oh, screw you and all that over confidence."

"You wound me."

Ed had a brief relapse of composer, flashing to a childish face of rage before regaining himself. He muttered a few things under his breath, ending it with a, "-ing damn bastard."

"All teasing and pleasantries aside, how have you been, Edward?"

The young man considered him with those piercing eyes and he had never felt more vulnerable. His soul was under examination, strapped down and in full view despite all of his mental walls and blockades. 

Ed let him go, and he slowly let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd held. 

"I," Ed began. "I..." He bent forward and took his head in his hands. "I am regretting not taking Hoenhiem up on his offer."

Roy suddenly didn't feel quite so vile for using Marco's stone to heal his eyes. He said nothing, knowing that there was nothing yet to say. 

Ed was quiet for a while, reminding him of all those years ago watching the young boy crying over a chimera in the rain. 

"I can't bring this up with anyone else, Roy." 

He frowned. That was the first time Ed had used his name. Ever. 

"Well?" Ed looked to him, long and lost. And lanky. He'd grown in many ways, but in others he was the same. 

"You have a hypothesis? To get your alchemy back?" Roy offered hesitantly. "This is going to take you somewhere you've already been, Ed."

"I... I know, but it's... Al would kick my ass if he heard me now."

"Then is this really something you wish to pursue?"

"Yes." Ed met his eyes with that same fire. He was crippled again, Roy realized.

"So, what, do you plan to join the military again like before? So I can send you out to search for clues?" Roy wasn't sure if he was angry or impressed, but he was feeding off the energy radiating from Ed. They were live wires.

"I can't be Fullmetal again. I can't do alchemy, so that rules that option out. Even so, I don't want to be tied down like that again. I would like.... not help, but...."

"Support. Someone to check you through your research."

"Yes, but that's where it ends, Roy." Again, using his name. That's twice. 

"How so?"

"This has never been done before, never been thought of until now. Ground breaking work."

"You've never been one for the easy way. Why not call Dr. Mar-"

"No!"

There was silence. 

"No," Ed repeated softer. "Al would never forgive me. I made my promise, and I intend to keep it."

Roy crossed his arms over his chest and looked upon Ed like a puzzle, watching him prickle under his scrutiny. He went over every single person the young man knew in his mind to see if there was another possibility. There was none. Ed had thought this action through carefully. 

"I have a study," he said, relaxing into his chair once again. "I'd be willing to let you take it over."

Ed shifted to the edge of his seat. 

"But-"

"But?"

"But, you will not be staying there to live. I still have my reputation to keep. You'll need an apartment of your own. And a job. I could arrange-"

"I can get a job at the university."

"Oh?"

"I checked by there earlier today. They'd be more than happy to have me. But, obviously, I can't do my research there. Word would spread like wildfire, and then, well..."

"Of course. What about Al? For that matter, what about that young lady you have waiting for you back in Resembool?"

Ed mulled over his words. "I'll deal with all that while I am visiting."

Roy wanted to smack him. He was about to stand to do so when Ed spoke again. 

"I know if I can do it without hurting anyone or anything, then they won't have a problem. But that's the thing. That's the promise I made Al all those years ago when I got back from Xerxes."

Roy pinched his sinuses. "Fine. Fullmetal, go see your family. I understand your reluctance to discuss this with them, but, for your own sanity, do it. Then come back and tell me if you still need my help."

Ed frowned. He stood, looking awkwardly about for some better way to leave the conversation and then instead just left the room. 

***

Three months later, there was a knock on Roy's front door. Ed stood sourly glaring at the chill air, an oversized satchel-style briefcase in one hand, the other ready to knock again. 

Come to think of it, Roy thought, peeking through the eyeport, why the hell would giving him back alchemy be a good idea? Lots more broken property. Then again, not my problem anymore. 

Roy opened the door to let him in.

"Thank you, Colonel. Any house rules aside from not destroying your home or reputation?" Ed glanced around. Not that there is much to see, Roy thought a little selfconsciously. An undecorated four bedroom townhouse was just that, and the only reason for the extra rooms was to house an extensive number of books. 

He frowned. Ed didn't look much better than the last time they'd spoken. He swallowed back an interrogation. He could pester Ed all about whatever research he was doing within these walls, but Ed's personal life was only Roy's to know if it became necessary. 

Roy conjured a smile. "And don't eat me out of house and home. I seem to remember you having a voracious appetite."

Ed barked a laugh. "Right. So, where's this study?"

"Right this way." Roy led them up stairs. 

The study had a table rather than a proper desk. Ed put his bag down on it and turned to the wall of shelves. "You know," he said, waving a hand toward the books of alchemy, "it might actually be easier for me to stock my own books here for now. I've got too many for my apartment, and I'm gonna need them here anyhow."

"Why, thank you in advance for your contribution to my library."

"...Then again, maybe I'll just carry them back and forth."

"That's exactly what you'll do. Though, how many books are you thinking about needing?"

"A shelf."

"One or the whole case?"

"The whole case..."

Roy sighed. "One case. And if you get them mixed in with mine, consider them forfeit."

"Thanks, Roy."

That's three. Roy watched Ed pick out a likely book case to claim. The one right next to the table, which made perfect sense. Ed glanced back at him.

"Where do you want me to move these?" A gesture was made toward the books inhabiting the case. 

Roy waved his hand like he was wafting away the very thought. "I'll just make a new shelf for them."

Ed pondered that statement and then frowned. 

"Something wrong with my making a new shelf?"

"I just didn't think of it." Ed grinned, "I guess five years make a habit."

It was Roy's turn to frown. "We'll figure this out, Edward."

Ed stretched his arms over his head with a creaky groan, then across his chest. "Well, then, no time like the present." He pulled out several volumes from his bag and a notebook. "Want to see my running hypothosis?"

Roy moved beside the younger man, "Certainly." And the lightbulbs went off in his brain for the particular social cues necessary to manipulate a straight answer out of Edward Elric. "Have you shown it to anyone else?" Did you discuss this with your brother? 

Ed huffed, hesitating at mid-flip of a clump of pages in the notebook. He flopped them down, turning the next couple leaves a bit more gently before settling on a block of handwritten text. With his left hand, he pointed at the scrawl. "This is all I've got so far."

Roy gingerly picked up the journal, squinting at the nearly illegible font. Several minutes of study later, and he was not at all sure he would be of much help in Ed's research. 

"You mean to try to create a loop hole upon your own body and the gate, like how your soul and Al's were connected, in order to funnel some of the influence of the gate toward you."

"Essentially."

Roy wanted again to smack him, but until he thought of a better idea, had to keep his real opinion to himself. I tried the nice way, but I need real answers, he thought, and glared at Ed. "What does Alphonse think of this?"

Ed dug through his bag, pulling out another stack of notes. The print was fine and neat, almost turning the pages black with the dense information compressed onto them. "I mentioned having an idea on how to get my alchemy back one time. He looked at my hypothesis and hid away for six weeks writing this."

"Then, why aren't you working though this with his aid? He would be able to help you far more than I could."

Ed finally looked Roy in the eye. "He said that he needed to go back to Xing to learn more, see if their form of alchemy could help me. Winry even went with him to teach them how to make automail in exchange for Al's education. Al told me to take you up on your offer. So I have."

Roy was only a little sorry for prying, but that needed to be in the open. It was a moment later that he finally dropped the connection, closing his eyes to rub over them with one hand. When he looked back to Ed, he was at a loss for words.

"Besides, you'll be of more help than you think. You can still do alchemy; I trust your skills of precision more than any other alchemist I know." Ed busied himself with spreading out his research over the tabletop. "And you will call me on my bullshit. Al's not here to do the job, so I'll need that." He took another couple books from the satchel before putting the bag on the floor.

Roy thought he saw a faint hint of red to the younger man's cheeks and was silently flattered. That was probably one of the highest compliments he'd recieved from the young man... aside from having a certain sum of money continually borrowed.

"I'll leave you to your work, then. Would you like me to review it before or after you leave tonight?"

Ed glanced back at him. "After. Give you enough time to go over everything."

"Probably for the best. Oh, there are chairs in the other rooms. I don't use this room much, so they were all appropriated, but feel free to claim one."

Ed waved before diving headlong into his readings. Roy remembered when Ed was still a child, putting every strand of focus he possessed into reading the volumes of alchemy in Tucker's library. At least the man had the grace to wave goodbye before jumping out of reality and into the world of text.


	2. Chapter 2

A ruitine began to form within a week. Ed came in during the afternoon, stayed through 9 o' clock, ate a quick snack from Roy's kitchen, and dissapeared back into the study until 11 when he would finally leave for home. He didn't make any kind of racket, if he made any sound at all. It was almost what Roy would expect owning a cat is like, coming and going as it pleased.

But today was Saturday. Roy didn't know what to expect. It was likely that Edward was not working at the university on a weekend, but considering the man's work ethic, one could never know. Maybe a lab? Doubtful he would actually agree to running a lab without being able to do alchemy. In fact, why the hell hadn't he asked Ed about the position at the university? Aside from the first day, they had barely spoken to one another at all.

And right in the middle of Roy's ponderings, the front door opened and shut. He got up to check, just to be sure it was Edward. The younger man tapped snow off his boots while dusting the fresh flakes off of his hair.

"I hadn't realized it was snowing," Roy leaned one shoulder against the doorway into foryer. 

"Yeah, it caught me half way here. It's cold as hell out there," Ed hung up his jacket on the hook next to his. "Don't suppose you have a fire going, do you? I need to warm up my leg."

"It wouldn't take much to make one. There's coffee if you're interested. Help yourself." He ventured back to his living room to put a few logs in the fireplace. He put on the glove that he kept atop the mantle and gave a quick snap. Soon, there was a crackling fire in the hearth and a glow of warmth spreading throughout the room. 

"You want any?" Ed yelled from the kitchen.

Ah. There's the voice he was used to hearing. He shook his head, smiling. "Yes, thanks!" he called back, settling into a chair.

Ed brought in two steaming cups of coffee and handed one off before stiffly sitting down in the chair nearest the fire, his left leg plopped down so close to the threshold that it was a wonder his shoe didn't catch.

Roy took a swig of his coffee. Either Ed was playing it safe or actually remembered, but there wasn't anything added to it. He fancied that he liked his coffee as he prefered his politics: it's always going to be hard to see through, so don't cloud it with bullshit. He so rarely had both the way he liked unless he made it himself.

A glance back at Ed rubbing at his port with his left hand and drinking from his mug with his flesh and blood right reminded him of something that was bothering him.

"The gate isn't equivalent, Fullmetal," he said, putting the coffee down.

Edward paused. "In some ways, that's true. It does have some kind of sentience, which means it can be flawed." He swallowed down another gulp before relaxing back. "It is you and me and everything, afterall."

"I'm not questioning that. What I am questioning is whether or not it would allow your idea to come to fruition. It took your leg and kept it, even though you sacrificed your alchemy in order to retrieve Al's body."

"My leg was sacrificed to try and bring my mom to life again. I knew when I offered up my alchemy that I'd never get it back."

"Then take myself as a case in point. I didn't choose to do human transmutation. I was forced by Pride. Yet my vision was taken."

Edward frowned. "I am glad you have your sight back and all, but don't confirm how you did it." He hissed, "I might just slug you."

"Alright," Roy shrugged, "slug me and get it out of your system. But know that I earned back my sight these years you've been away." 

The staring matches between them never lasted long, and almost always because Ed looked away. Roy won again, though he didn't feel particularly proud about it.

"The point I mean to bring up is that what you may have to pay in order to get out of this reaction alive is greater than you realize. You are trying to bypass honesty in order to use a configured back door that you are not even certain exists."

"So you've been going over my notes after all. I've been wondering why you've just been letting me wander in and out."

"I'd hardly do that." That's exactly what I've been doing. Mostly so I don't scare you into running off for another five years without even a word. "Your notes were left in the open afterall. I may block up that window for security and put a lock on the door. You've left everything strewn about."

"Hey, you were the one who said I could take it over."

He seemed to recall saying that a few months back, starting this whole mess. 

"Anyway, I need your input today. I've got a week's worth of work to go over with you."

He raised a brow. "I'm not going to become your scribe, now, am I?"

"Ugh." Ed flopped back in the chair. "I need to bounce ideas off another mind in real time or else I just get absorbed in reading and note taking, and nothing really happens."

"Alright. Let's finish our coffee and drink some water, too. We'll be at this for a while, so have you eaten?"

Ed grinned, "I'll happily eat your food."

"I thought as much."

***

"Ed, it's sunrise." Roy rubbed his eyelids. 

"I'm not done yet. Listen, because you still aren't seeing the point here: if, like you claim, there is no loophole of getting my own gate returned, what's to say I can't barrow a gate from another living being, or from one recently deceased. I'm not saying I want to take one from somebody, but-"

"-Ed."

"What?"

"It's sunrise. You have been rambling for hours. I've barely said five solid ideas all night. I'm going to bed. So should you."

"How can you be tired? We are talking about transplanting a gate! This isn't like automail, where you can just create a new one. There's no automail for alchemy! This is more advanced than modern medicine!"

"Ed!" Roy stood, holding the blond man at arms length by the shoulders. "I am going to go to bed. I'm pausing our conversation. Come back after you've slept."

Ed's eyes were equal parts dewy and determined, like taking a break was akin to kicking a kitten. "But-"

"I'm old-er than you..." he winced, but kept going. "I need sleep. Good night." At that, he escaped the study for the hall, speeding toward his room. 

"Colonel, wait! You still haven't told me your-"

"GOOD NIGHT!" He slammed the bedroom door shut between them. 

At 3 on Sunday afternoon, Roy woke up well rested. 


	3. Chapter 3

Ed was still scratching away at his notes when Roy came to check on him. It was a good thing the flooring was hard wood, because that had become the desk, Ed leaning over to shift papers around in some cohesive manner. 

"Coffee?" Roy stepped in the study, careful not to spill the two cups he held. He took a draw from one, relishing the warmth against the snow-borne cold from outdoors. 

"Thanks." Ed reached out his right hand, continuing his scrawl with the other. 

Roy passed one over and watched the blond drain half of it before cringing. He'd handed over his own cup. Ed didn't seem the wiser, so he kept his mouth shut. No need to interrupt the research. 

"Did you even take a nap?" he asked instead. 

Ed shook his head. "No need. Since I stopped sharing all my nutrients with Al, I've found I don't need as much sleep or food."

"Then what was with you shoveling all of my food in your mouth yesterday?"

The blond paused and took another swig from the mug Roy had drank from. He then turned to Roy with a smug grin. "It's not like I'll turn down a meal I didn't have to cook."

"What happened to your strict adherence to equivalent exchange?"

"I'm still working on a new theory with Al to replace that."

"Really? You haven't mentioned that at all until now."

"We've been focused on getting my alchemy back recently, so it's gone to the back burner while we continue our research on this. Though," Ed sat up on his calves, "it might actually help in this regard."

"How so? What is your idea to replace equivalent exchange?"

Ed relaxed, swallowing down more coffee. "Take the current situation at hand as a case in point. You'd already agreed to let me borrow this part of your home and review my work, so let's take that as a base. In equivalent exchange, I'd let you in on my research and become of use in alchemy again. Win-win. But, out of the goodness of your heart, and in order to see the results achieved, you offer me food and coffee. You don't have to, but you do so anyway. You added to the equation. It's no longer equivalent, but something more."

Roy smiled. "The pure chemists will hate you for this, but I want to see where that line of thought will take you."

Ed shrugged. "Probably along the same lines as some idealist working toward the top in order to reverse pyramid scheme a country wide protection network."

Roy sipped from the mug in his hand, hiding a smirk and declining from the subject change. He looked down to Ed's notes littering the floor in earnest, trying to find the pattern that the blond had painstakingly made. 

He felt Ed's eyes on him and decided he might as well sit on the floor as well. He'd been avoiding glasses, so he needed a closer vantage point. He set his cup behind him and leaned over the notes next to Ed. It was then that he started seeing the organization. Top left was everything Ed knew that was factual and could not be refuted. Top right were things in flux. The middle and bottom were still a mixed blur of to-be-decided that he had no hope of deciphering due to Ed's horrific penmanship. 

Ed piped up, "I have a thought on borrowing someone's gate. I mean borrow in the true sense, not the ramblings I was on about last night, but that did lead me to the idea."

"You would have to return the favor from whomever you were borrowing the gate."

"Yes and no. If the transmutation were in both our favors, but they don't have the knowledge to do it, it'd be perfectly equivalent. They'd provide the power while I'd provide the means. But, now going with Al's and my new idea, it depends on who approaches who, who is giving something in. Are both giving something in, or is someone else aside from the parties involved in the reaction gaining from it? Think of this: your coffee is getting cold, you don't have your gloves on you--hypothetically--and you need to warm it back up quickly. I know how to do the reaction to heat it back up, but you have a gate. I just need access to your gate, and then, sparks of alchemy, your coffee is now boiling hot again."

"How, then, do you access my gate?"

Ed shrunk a little. "I don't know."

Roy frowned. Ed being so down on himself would get them nowhere fast. "But you should have some ideas."

"Ideas, yes. But no way to support them yet." Ed turned back to his notes, reaching for a page in order to shift it out of the collage. 

"Which one seems the most likely?" Roy asked, trying again to scan the pages for Ed's thoughts. 

Ed sighed. "It's pretty basic, but just having a person with their gate hold it open while I guide the transmutation. I'd probably have to be in some sort of physical contact with them, but it might require a medium circle in order for my influence to be used on the main reaction rather than the connection point."

"That's borderline telepathy you're going for."

Ed's forehead met his palm. "I know that! I know what it looks like, but I will still need to rule out everything in order to find what's true in this regard."

"Then first, let me try this with you," Roy suggested. "I'll see if I can hold open my gate long enough for your needs."

"I don't know how long a time that needs to be."

"Let me try it!" he insisted.

Ed swallowed and motioned for him to continue.

Roy mentally went through the process of a transmutation. Identifying the materials and the desired result, decomposition of the base materials, and the reconstruction. He felt his muscles twitch with each step. Where did the gate open? How had he never thought to pay attention to that detail?

He looked to Ed. "Excuse me," he swiped a blank piece of paper and clapped his hands, envisioning the array to change it into graphite. The gate opened... the instant he clapped his hands. There was the tingle in the center of his brain that wanted to escape, the desire to follow through with the action, the draw of power from the planet that became so much more potent after the defeat of Father. He held onto that current of power, feeling it swell within himself, his body alight with potential energy that ached to be let go. It travelled through his entire nervous system, chills running through every limb. He felt a weight on his shoulders tethering him while his body wanted to take off, a rushing sound in his ears, his name being called in the distance, his vision blurred but for the image of the array he wanted to complete. Sparks flew through his veins, so much power in such tiny vessles, and

"Roy!"

He looked down to see a sheet of graphite on the floor.

"Roy?"

He looked up, and there was a very concerned Edward Elric staring back at him. "What happened?"

"Where did you go?"

He shook his head, still a little fuzzy. "I'd... I've never gone that deep into my own body and mind when doing a transmutation." He met Ed's eyes, "But I've got some results: the gate opens when you connect with the circle with intent. Or, in our case, when we clap. It's why we have the natural urge to finish a reaction once we activate it."

Ed's mind must have been going a mile a minute. The blond stood up and began pacing, his fingers twitching at his sides. Roy watched him for a minute before looking back to the week's worth of notes scattered on the floor. He could see the progression of Ed's fatigue in the ink, the letters turning wilder with the passing hours. He glanced to Ed, seeing the shadows under the young man's eyes. There was no stopping Ed now that he was on a lead. 

"I'll make some dinner while you work this through."

Ed stopped so suddenly, Roy thought the man would tip over. "No," Ed said, "I'll pay, but just order something. I need you here." He blinked and held up a hand. "Wait...."

"Wh--"

"Shh!" Ed squeezed his eyes shut, pressing at his temple with his other hand. 

Roy raised a brow, though it went unseen. 

"I think I've got it, Roy," Ed let his arms hang and unsealed his sight. "If you need a circle to activate the gate, I'll become the circle. You wouldn't have to clap to activate anything, just connect with the circle with intent, so hold onto my arm or something. Then, since I know the array that needs to be done, you'll just hang on for the ride while I guide the energies where they need to go."

Roy pondered that for a moment. "It shouldn't be that easy."

"I know, right?" Ed grinned. "Want to try it?"

"That's why we're here."

Ed sat back down next to him and took in a deep breath. The blond raised his hands and released it. "Ready?"

He nodded.

Ed swiped a couple more blank sheets of paper. He set them in between the two of them and clapped. Roy put his hands over Ed's wrists, feeling the gate open, the energies rush, but letting them go with no small amount of fear. Ed placed his palms onto the paper, and crackles of alchemical energy sparked over their hands.

There was a tiny graphite pencil where there had once been paper.

Roy blinked in amazement, then looked to Ed. The blond's expression matched his own until Ed started to laugh, "It worked. It worked!" In an instant, Ed threw his arms around him, planting a kiss sound on his lips, and then was up and pacing again. "...it worked... now how does that...." 

It took two rounds of Ed's pacing for Roy to collect himself. He hadn't expected Ed's idea to succeed, nor what followed, as over before it began though it may have been. He needed some air. "I'll go order dinner, then." He picked himself off the floor, brushing away pretend dust.

Edward continued muttering to himself, lost from the reality at hand. 


	4. Chapter 4

Somehow Roy forgot about the snow. He also forgot it was Sunday afternoon, the combination of which equated to practically nothing being open. He found a deli in the amount of time it would have taken him to make a warm sandwich in his oven. With the slow service and a sheen of grease to every surface, it gave him plenty to devote his thoughts.

At least, that was the theory.

He pinched his sinuses, attempting to remove the feeling of Ed's lips against his own from his memory. What had even possessed Ed to do that? And then to go straight back in to his resea-

Roy paused in his thoughts. Did that brat even realize what he did? Or was that all just because of excitement? His head was staring to ache, and he couldn't stop that sensation from tingling the nerves on his own lips. Stop that! he told himself. Ed's still too young. Doesn't matter that he's over twenty years old now, he's still too young.

The crushing realization of his own age came down upon his shoulders and he glared visciously at the filthy tile of the resturaunt floor.

But then, said a voice in the back of his mind, what dictates age? Ed's always been older than what his birthdate would imply.

Shut up.

And he certainly didn't kiss like he is too young.

It didn't even last long enough to tell!

Then why all the concern?

Because it shouldn't have happened in the first place!

But it did.

Yeah. It did. And it shouldn't have.

But you liked it.

Shut up.

And you hope it will happen again.

"Shut up!"

"Sir?" The deli cook held out his order. "Everthing alright?"

His face met his palm. "Sure. Thanks." He grabbed the paper sack from the cook and left the dive before he could make a bigger fool of himself.

The blast of cold air helped to clear his thoughts again. What would happen when he returned to the study was not entirely certain, but he had a few ideas.

***

Ed inhaled the sandwich, looking like he hadn't even tasted it. He nodded a quick thanks and dove back into his notes.

Roy wanted to throttle him.

Instead, he ate his meager meal off to the side of the room while glaring at a blond braid. He didn't trust himself to speak and Ed's diligence to the task at hand was annoying him to no end.

"Roy!"

He jumped where he sat. "What?"

Ed spun around, holding a handful of notes. "The gate should be a transferable entity. But here, I am looking through Al's notes," the blond pointed, "and he thinks something similar, but what about you? I need an outside opinion on this."

"I'm hardly 'outside' at this point," he said, making a definitive display of chewing a bite of his sandwich.

Ed made a face.

He swallowed his bite and went for another.

"..." The younger man sat down next to him, stretching out his left leg. He held up the notes so Roy could see them. "Al suggested that since even Father failed to create an artificial gate, which is how Gluttony was created, then the only way for me to aquire one is by transferring one from someone who is a willing donor or is being harmed by their gate."

"If they are being harmed by their own gate, you wouldn't want to accept it. It would likely result in the same harm toward you."

"Unless I use my skill with alchemy to... no that's stupid and arrogant," Ed finished in a grumble and put a line through several areas of text.

"Also," Roy offered, "who would be a willing donor? A non-alchemist? Someone about to die? It's unlikely that you'll find anyone. However, if you were, then it would lend itself to your idea of adding to a reaction to make something more... if you find someone absolutely willing."

Ed leaned back against the wall in thought. Roy munched down on his sandwich again. The first half he'd consumed mindlessly, but now that he'd calmed down, it was actually really good.

A few moments went by and Roy could feel Ed's mind working a mile a minute. It was becoming palpable, tension running down his side. "Speak, Ed, or I'll make you talk."

Ed jerked, then looked over to him. Their eyes met. "I think I know a donor."

Roy raised a brow, "Do you?"

The blond turned to stare at the floor. ".... Winry."

Oh. Oh, that made some sense. Roy waited for Ed to continue.

"I just... I need to absolutely perfect a method of transferring the gate before I try it with her. Before I even ask. I can't risk-" Ed's hands clamped into fists.

"We'll figure out a true method before even attempting it, regardless of who is willing," Roy soothed. He leaned back and set his meal to one side.

Ed mimicked him, relaxing against the wall. He seemed a little too relaxed. Roy glanced at him again.

"Hey, I said you aren't staying here to live. You can pass out in your own place."

Ed jerked again, then rested his chin in his palm. "I live, like, halfway across the city from here. Mind if I just take a nap? It's finally catching up to me."

"I do mind. You'll pass out until morning."

"Then could I hitch a ride home from you?"

"..." What else did he have to do? Answer, nothing. "Fine, but you owe me."

"I owe you regardless." Ed made to stand up, using the wall to brace himself.

Roy held in a sigh, getting to his feet with no effort at all. He was at the door when he realized he didn't hear Ed's footsteps following him and turned to see the blond leaning against the wall standing up. At this, he released his sigh, though he made it come out much more annoyed than he was. "Next time, you aren't working through the night. I'm not going to give you a ride home every weekend."

"I tol'ja I'd pay you back," Ed muttered, betraying his well hidden eastern drawl.

"Fuel is expensive and teachers earn nothing."

Ed glared. "Fine then, when I get my alchemy back, I'll make you some fuel. That work for you?"

Roy smirked. "Ah, but where's the 'plus one'?" He laughed as the younger man's look turned murderous.

***

"Hey, you brat! Wake up and tell me your address, dammit!"

Ed shifted in the passenger seat, gurgling out what Roy could only presume were supposed to be words. He felt his eye twitch and pinched his sinuses.

"I swear, Fullmetal, I'm just going to dump you on a street corner and feel no remorse if you get mugged."

This earned him a snore.

He gripped Ed's shoulder and gave a shake. "Fullmetal!"

Ed slunk through to awareness, blinking as though gravity were ten times greater only on his eyelids. "S'goin on? We there yet?"

"No. You failed to tell me how to get there."

"Oh." Ed said helpfully.

Roy's grip bore down. "Where is your apartment, Ed?"

"It's over right next to that shop, you know the one right? It's on the corner of...." Ed eyelids succumbed to their defeat.

"Dammit, Ed! The corner of what?!" Both shoulders now in his hands, he shook the blond again.

Snore.

And he realized just how close he'd become to Ed, his face just inches away. He let go like he'd been burned, sitting back in his seat with a solid hold on the wheel.

Ten minutes later saw him back in front of his own home, hauling Ed over his shoulder. He dumped his burden on the couch, set an alarm for early, and went to his own room to sleep.

***

There was no sign of Ed the next morning. Roy couldn't help but feel a little off put, though he couldn't place just why. The whole situation really was turning into him becoming the unwitting owner of a humanoid cat. Things worked much better when Fullmetal was under his command rather than at large.

He shrugged, taking a mental note that Ed had actually tidied up before bolting.

And then that damned kiss came back to mind. Roy slapped himself. Hard.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey," Ed plopped down next to the fire. He didn't even bother taking off his coat, cozying up to the warmth to heat up his automail.

"Good evening, Fullmetal. Where have you been all week?"

"Busy and tired. Had to grade tests, amongst other things."

Roy hid a smile behind his mug at the thought of his ex-subordinate having to decipher terrible handwriting. The karmic justice paired well with the bitterness of his coffee.

"I don't even have to look at you to feel that smirk. What?" Ed asked pointedly, looking at everywhere but him.

"You seem awfully touchy on the subject. Perhaps another time," he set the cup down and folded his hands before him. "Are you here for a nice chat or more research? You do appear rather addled."

Ed laughed, "That's a word for it." This time he did meet Roy's eye. "I need to try that transmutation scenario again. Something felt off about it in retrospect."

That you kissed me for it? Roy bit his tongue. "In what way?"

"Well, did you feel any lack of energy after the reaction?"

I felt your lips on mine. "Not that I can recall."

"Exactly. Don't you normally feel a bit tired after doing a lot of alchemy? Some of the energy comes from the user. Not much, but enough that it's noticeable."

Not that I was able to concentrate on that since you kissed me right after. "I can't recall anything out of the ordinary on my end."

Ed hummed over this. He nodded a moment later, "Maybe it needs to be a slightly bigger reaction."

That brought Roy back to attention. "How large of a transmutation are you thinking?"

"Nothing spectacular, but maybe making something a bit more complex in composition. Like an alloy. Do you have any lead on hand?"

"Only in the form of ammo."

Ed gave him a look. "Why the hell do you need bullets?"

"In case it rains."

"...point." Ed went back to thinking. "Eh, might as well do some stone statue from sand. The clean up is always such a bitch, though."

"I should still have some bags out back. They'll be soaked through, so you'll have to account for that."

"Duh. You need help carrying them in?"

"What do you mean by 'help?' As I see it, you are the one taking from my supply."

Ed stood up and straightened his coat. "Fine, bastard. Bet I still beat your lazy ass to the study."

"By all means. I'm in no rush."

He watched Ed stomp out of the room and could swear he heard a few choice words muttered about him. He finished his coffee and ambled up the stairs to the study in time to meet Ed at the door. He held it open like the gentleman he was and smirked after Ed shot him a defiant glare.

He watched Ed unceremoniously drop the bag of sand in the middle of the room and kneel down beside it. The blond turned to him. "What are you going to make? I need to know so I can make the right circle."

"I'll make a marble pyramid. Will that suffice for your experiment?"

"Sure. A monument of a dick for an absolute dick." Ed laughed at his own joke. He smiled back at Roy, "But, yeah, marble from sand should work great. We'll really have to change the chemical composition that way, but nothing too straining."

Roy kneeled down next to Ed. He recalled just how to open his gate and keep it there enough for Ed's circle to take control. He looked over to Ed. "Ready?"

Ed nodded and clapped, his hands digging into the spilled sand. Roy put his hands over Ed's wrists like the last time, opening his gate. The feel of his alchemy switching into Ed's control was still very strange, but this time it was expected, though unnerving. The sparks of alchemy threw static bolts across their hands and into the sand. The grains condenced, the silicon morphing into carbon and calcium.

When Ed lifted his hands away, a bone white marble pyramid stood in a crater of sand. Ed looked to Roy, "Anything?"

Roy didn't even feel fazed. He shook his head.

"Well, then we know that the energy is coming from me," Ed said. "I feel like I just ran a block at full speed."

"That's not right. How is the energy coming from you when I'm just transfering the control of my gate to you?"

Ed sat back and scratched his chin. "Maybe there is something to the Add One idea in this. I have to put something more into the pot in order for it to work."

Roy let him stew on that, unable to come up with anything to add.

Ed sat up straight. "Got any coffee left? I don't want to pass out like last time."

"Yes, there should be enough. I'll go get it. Have you eaten yet?"

Ed shook his head.

"I'll make us something, too. Take your coat off and stay a bit. I should probably keep an eye on you."

"Thanks, Roy," Ed smiled sheepishly.

A little while later, they sat across a tray of coffee and sanwiches from each other. Still on the floor, much to the complaint of Roy's knees. He studied Ed as the young man downed a full cup of coffee and poured himself more.

"You mentioned that you were tired and that was why you haven't been by all week," he said. It could have been that he didn't know how to face me after realizing what he did. Doubtful, but possible, considering that was his usual M.O. during his military days.

"...Yeah."

Well, it's obviously something more than fatigue that kept him away by that reaction. "You did stay up for over thirty-two hours last weekend," he offered.

"No, it's more than that. And then, how I passed out not that long after the reaction? I've easily stayed up for three days, taken a twelve hour nap, and gone back for more."

"Ah, yes. I'll believe that when I see it."

Ed frowned and pointed his thumb at his chest. "Gone for five years, you ass. You don't know shit."

"Your narcoleptic behavior was rather legendary in my office. Al would sometimes have to carry you back to your hotel," Roy teased.

He wasn't disappointed. Ed's cheeks reddened, and a lame mutter of, "Yeah, whatever," floated between them. He picked up his coffee and enjoyed the warmth spreading down his throat. Finally he took pity.

"But, that you stayed away from your research for a week... that does concern me." He watched Ed come back into focus. "Was the drain on your energy really that severe?"

Ed looked away. "It's possibly just a combination of things."

"What things?" It was in those moments that he wished he could just shake the information out of his former subordinate.

"Eh, work, research, our transmutations.... You're right, it probably didn't help that I stayed up all last weekend."

Roy hummed over that, not buying it. "Then you need rest more than anything. We should abstain from doing these transmutations until we figure out just what they are doing to you."

"Mm. Yeah." Ed chewed and swallowed a bite of a sandwich. "So how long do you need to keep an eye on me for?"

"Let's see," Roy thought a moment. "You passed out about an hour and a half after," kissing me, "the transmutation, so, just another couple hours or so. I'll even drive you home."

"That's awful generous."

A gleam came to his eye, and he grabbed a pencil and paper. "You're going to write down your address right now so I don't have to try getting it from you when you pass out again."

Ed had the good graces to blush and look sorry. Then scribbled out the address.

Roy tucked the paper into his pocket for later and snagged one of the sandwiches before Ed took them all. He noted all the research papers strewn about the floor, some poised at the edge of the table, and found a couple on the shelves. Ed was making a right mess of his room. Then again, he'd been the one to suggest it, knowing full well just what kind of headache Ed could be.

"Roy?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for all this."

He looked back to Ed, who had him lined up under that firey gaze. He smiled, "You're quite welcome, Ed."

***

Roy was still in his night clothes when Ed rang the doorbell the next morning. It took a minute for him to understand that the doorbell could not be turned off by turning off his alarm clock. He threw a robe over himself and greeted a shivering Edward on his porch.

"I'll just get you a key made next week," he closed the door after Ed passed. "How are you feeling?" he yawned and rubbed the sleep from an eye.

"Fine. You want me to make some coffee?"

"Sure. Might as well," he glanced out a window and deadpanned. "Ed?"

"Yeah?" he heard Ed's voice from the kitchen.

"Is the sun even over the horizon yet?"

The sound of water filling the kettle was the reply.

What did I do with my weekends before this started? he wondered to himself. Read? I seem to recall a lot more sleeping and reading. That sounds nice. The newspaper will be in tomorrow morning. When is the last time I read that? I should probably commit some of my time to that, right? And I've got a list of books to review. Should get right on that. Should just start my day in my library and not come out until night. Why don't I go do that?

"Here you go, Roy," Ed smiled, handing him a steaming cup of coffee.

Ah, that's right. He took a sip and savored it. "Thank you."

"Sorry about waking you. I got up a little early, so I wanted a head start."

He nodded. "Need a fire?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

He took another draw from his cup and went for his ignition glove above the mantle. He snapped once, and the fire came to life. Ed sat in his customary chair next to the fireplace. Roy stood next to the warmth and looked down at the top of Ed's head, watching as the blond rubbed his left leg. It all seemed so domestic, yet so natural.

"Ed?"

"Hmm?"

"What will you do when you get it back?"

Ed shrugged. "It's easier to ask what I won't do." He met Roy's eyes. "You know me," he grinned, then looked back to the fire.

The quiet of winter mornings took back over, the crackling of the fire, soft breaths, and the muffled sound of traffic through snow.

Ed stretched overhead and then reached for his cup. The brief thought of ever seeing Ed without caffeine flashed through Roy's mind, and he had to hold in a chuckle. It would either be like watching a plant wilt or a tornado come through.

After a moment of peace, Ed stood up. "Guess I'll get started. I'm mostly going to be doing research today rather than theorizing, so I won't have to monopolize your time."

No, by all means, monopolize it all you like, was Roy's knee-jerk thought. "I'll be here if you need. I will be checking on you throughout the day."

"I'm taking it easy, Roy."

"Mm." He raised a brow. It was lost on Ed, however, who'd already started up the stairs.

He stayed next to the fire until he finished his cup, contemplating just what he was going to do about Ed and that damned kiss that kept him from sleeping right all week.

He shrugged to himself and moseyed back to his room to dress. He found a book on his nightstand, a philosophy text sent to him from Xing, and made a spot for himself in the living room near the fire to read.

Ten minutes later, he'd read the same paragraph three times. He put the book down and let his mind succumb to its wanderings.

***

"What about your work at the university?" Roy prodded over lunch.

Ed rolled his eyes. "I've got nothing but a bunch of slackers for students! Some of them are even older than me, but they are all so useless that I wouldn't trust them to transmute rocks into dirt!"

Roy laughed, knowing all too well those situations.

"Last week, one of them asked me to define the difference between opposing equallateral triangles in an array. I think I literally learned that when I was four! These idiots are in fucking college! That's something you can read about in any basic alchemy text! Hell, it's even in _the very text book that they are using for class!_ "

"Careful, Ed, or you'll pull out all your hair before you're my age."

"There is not a single one of them that could pass the state exam. And this college is designed to prepare them for that!"

"Are they all freshmen?"

"No! Wait... are they?" Ed paused to think. He huffed, "Well, they had better be with how stupid they are."

Roy shook his head. "You are trying to base them off of yourself and Alphonse. You two aren't exactly the norm."

"Oh," Ed said, "that reminds me, who did you get to be your new gopher after I resigned?"

Gopher? He chose to ignore that. "It's rather hard to replace a prodigy."

He watched as Ed smirked and instantly regretted stroking that ego.

"How's research been this morning?" He asked before Ed could say something snide.

"Mm," he nodded, accepting the subject change, "I've got a couple ideas I'd like to bounce off of you."

"Alright."

"I'll have to show you the diagram sketches."

"That's fine."

"... you say that."

Upstairs, the floor was even worse, only a scattered pathway remaining and a standing spot next to the table.

"Has anyone ever told you that your method of note taking is far from orthodox?" Roy asked, sidling up next to Ed's right side at the table. The empty spot to stand was really only comfortable for one person, so they had to face each other to fit.

"Not in so many words." Ed then pointed to an array at the center of the table. "This is probably the most promicing, though I need to do a bit more work on what exact symbol to use to separate and bind the gate."

Roy looked over it closely, even so far as leaning sideways over the table. In the corner of the page were different runes and animal symbols with arrows pointing to different quadrents on the array. Some of them he recognized from his apprenticeship, but he couldn't recall them specifically.

"I may have to invent a combination glyph from all of those. They have attributes that might help, but none of them really fit."

"That seems more than a little dangerous, Ed."

"Yeah. I may need to call Al back here for that bit. He's always been better at glyph creation."

"That being said," Roy pointed to a reference to the salamander, "how would this apply here? A means of controlling the energy source?"

Ed nodded, looking back to him. "I was thinking something along those lines. You are the expert here on that symbol. Would it even be applicable?"

He thought on it. "Only if we figure out the reason why your energy is being drained. The last thing we want is to accidentally assign the energy source as a grounding rod, and that could happen, given the salamander also has a tie to electricity."

Ed nodded again, looking distracted. Roy went back to looking at the array sketch. It was very direct, almost choppy in its construction. It was clear that Ed wasn't sure on what to do, but maybe because he was being cautious?

"I'm not really sure how to..." Ed started. He looked back at the blond and straightened up. Ed shook his head, looking at his notes. "This is... Augh, dammit, Roy, I've gotta know."

His shirt was caught in Ed's fist, pulling them toward each other. And for the second time, Roy was suddenly kissed by Ed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating went up. You know what that means.

Roy froze, his arms hanging in the air, as Ed pressed their lips together. The whole act was clumsy and rushed. He felt Ed's grip tighten in the collar of his shirt. Against his better judgement, he closed his eyes, his hands about to find Ed's hips.

Ed ripped away, and they were locked in each others' sights. Ed looked as shocked as Roy felt, his face a mess of conflicting emotions too numerous for Roy to interpret, brows drawn together and eyes wide. Time slowed down as Ed searched for something in Roy's gaze.

"...shit." Ed turned away and bolted.

Roy was stuck for half a second. He heard Ed's footfalls going down the stairs and ran after him.

The front door was open, Ed's coat only halfway on. The blond stood in the doorway even as Roy came up behind him. Everything outside was covered in a thick layer of ice, and sleet was coming down so heavy that Roy couldn't see to the road.

"Well, fuck," Ed groaned and closed the door. He leaned his forehead against it with a thunk. 

"Ed--"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry about that, it's been stuck in my brain since the first time, not that there should have even been a first time, and now I've fucked things up like I always do, so I won't blame you if you tell me to get the hell out and never contact you again, that would be perfectly reasonable considering I've been taking away any time you might want to have for yourself--"

"Ed."

"..." Roy watched Ed's shoulders tense.

"We're not having this conversation in my foyer. Hang your coat back up and lets go sit down."

"Err-ah...okay." Ed's shoulders laxed as he observably accepted his fate.

Roy still watched him to make sure he didn't run for it again, then led them to the living room.

Ed stiffly took up his place next to the fire, hanging his head.

"The first time," Roy began, sitting on the couch across from Ed, "I figured it was probably because of excitement. Right?"

"I," Ed looked up, then away, and scratched behind his ear. "It was... yeah, that's about right."

"About?"

"Ugh, always mincing words." He finally met Roy's eyes. "It was like when I got my arm back, that same kind of feeling. Only, this time, nothing bad happened."

"Understandable. You've been without your alchemy for almost the same length of time as you were without your arm."

"Yeah... so..."

"So that time was just a fluke."

Ed swallowed. "Yeah."

"And this time?" Roy crossed his arms, leaning back.

"...I, uhh, I didn't really remember doing that the first time until I was in the middle of a lecture on Monday morning."

Called it. He had to choke back a snort of laughter at the thought of Ed turning beet red in front of a crowd of students and covered his smirk with a curved finger, the rest of his hand over his chin as though in thought. "Ah-go on."

"Bastard," Ed glared at him, though there was no real sting to it. "Anyway, I wasn't lying about being exhausted, but I also figured that I should let you be for a bit."

"Meanwhile, I was wondering if you'd realized you kissed me and ran for the hills." Because you do that quite often, which means I then have to track you down.

"Mm, considered that. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't slug me," Ed shrugged and raised his chin a degree. "Want to tell me why that is?"

Roy quirked a brow. Turning the tables on me? "Simply from surprise, though you still haven't admitted why you did it a second time." 

Ed frowned and slouched back into the cushions of his chair. He looked to the fire again, hiding a good part of his face with his bangs. "...Once it got in my head, it stuck there all week. I've not dedicated a lot of my life to this sort of thing, so..."

"So, you wanted to see where it led?" Roy prompted.

Ed's lips thinned as they were shifted into a thoughtful line, the only truly visible part of his face.

Roy waited patiently. Well, as patiently as he had ever waited on Ed to convey information that he'd rather not. This whole exchange reminded him far too much of having to grill Ed for mission statements.

"Is it going to go anywhere?" Ed studied him, the light from the fire casting an attractive glow.

That really was the main question. By kissing him a second time, Ed had obviously displayed a deal of forethought into the action. But what did he want?

His lips tingled at the thought of having Ed in his arms. But was that just pure lust speaking? He'd known Edward since the man was a child, watched him grow, helped him as though he were his ward. It sent mixed signals though him, but he'd always admired Ed's tenacity and intellect. Hell, he just admired Ed as a person. But did that mean he wanted to pursue a relationship with him? He'd only known Ed as a child, as a young man, never truly as an adult, and he thought on the five years away from him. Aside from his duties and goals, they'd been lacking. Then Ed came back and his world was put into color. 

And, his brain reminded him, I would have deepened that embrace upstairs had I acted before Ed pulled away. That would have cleared up this whole thing rather succinctly. 

"I'd like it to," he answered, admitting it aloud at the same time it dawned on him. 

Ed visibly relaxed, practically melting into the cushions, head lulling back, eyes closed, and let out a breath. 

Roy's mouth went dry at that sight, his fingers itching to expose that neckline further. Ed straightened up as a few more urging ideas floated through his mind and smiled at him.

"Well, that cleared my head. I think I might actually be able to get some work done now," Ed said, standing up. "Day is still young, after all."

Roy felt his jaw drop, words failing him as he watched Ed stride passed him to the stairs. His fingers itched to take that exposed skin from earlier and throttle that damned brat within an inch of his life. He gripped his knees instead and took in a deep breath through the nose.

The door to the study slammed open, making him jump, followed by Ed's stomping back down the steps. The blond stood breathless before him a moment later.

"I lied."

Roy then had a lapfull of Edward, who was tugging at his collar again, popping off a button in the process. Their lips collided, Ed moving too fast and mashing them together. Roy pulled back, kissing Ed's jaw. "Slow down," he muttered into his ear. He put one hand on Ed's hip, savouring the firm muscle and bone, the other hand delving into the silky base of Ed's loosened braid. 

Ed groaned impatiently, almost a growl, which made Roy smile against his cheek. He leaned back to look Ed in the eye, and was treated to the sight of the man flushed all the way from his neck to his ears. The hand gripping his shirt let go to wander up his collar bone to his throat and then to that delicate space where the ear and jaw met the neck. He used his hand in Ed's hair to tilt the blond's head as if to say, "Like this," and languidly met their lips, brushing Ed's with the barest hint of tongue.

Ed went ridged, then fluid, the stimulation more than he'd probably ever received. Roy tried that bit again and wasn't disappointed. Ed moaned into the kiss in such a way that stirred him up inside faster than any partner he'd ever known. It was raw and honest, and it opened up Ed's mouth for him to explore. 

He pulled up the shirt tucked in at Ed's belt, gliding his fingers over bare skin until he reached the middle of Ed's toned back. He felt the pulse under his hand thumping at a quick allegro. Their tongues slid across one another, Roy running his along the underside of Ed's and feeling the blond shiver in his lap. 

Ed grinded over him, and he hissed inward, pulling his head back to revel in the sensation. Ed dipped for his throat, licking a trail up his jugular that made him want to pin him down and ravage him. He gripped Ed's hips with both hands and ground their arousals together again.

Holding onto the back of the couch, Ed gulped in air, his forehead resting on Roy's shoulder. Roy went for a third pass, and Ed let out a strangled moan that Roy knew he would devote his life to recreating. He pulled Ed's hips toward his own a final time, merely to resettle into something closer and more comfortable before going to explore that enticing clavicle he knew would be hiding under Ed's buttoned collar.

He sensed Ed watching him, so he ran his tongue over his lips as a show while undoing the shirt buttons before him. Ed shifted upright, looking down at him. Roy meant to just glance up, but he was held captive by the smoldering embers that were Ed's eyes. That's right, he reminded himself, I'd been taken in by this gaze since I first met it all those years ago. 

And any lingering doubts in Roy's mind shattered into dust.

He pressed an open kiss to Ed's exposed chest, holding him close, staying there for one full moment to let it all sink in. The boy he'd sent to fight monsters, entrusted with his life on a number of occasions, had become the man in his arms who looked directly at him with such passion that it became obvious just how inevitable this had always been.

He trailed his way up Ed's chest to that defined collar bone, drawing his tongue along it until it dipped at his throat. He followed that up, listening to Ed gasp, taking mental notes of spots he'd need to revisit. The jaw came back under his lips, working along the sharp angle to Ed's ear. He drew the lobe between his teeth and felt Ed twitch. He ran his whole tongue over it, sliding the tip just inside. 

"Aah--Roy!" Ed nearly jumped.

He smirked up at him. "That sensitive, hmm?"

Ed was gasping for breath, eyes clenched shut.

He kissed Ed's cheek and relaxed back, enjoying how each of Ed's deep breaths rubbed their hips against each others'.

"I don't think I'm going to get any work done today after all," Ed grinned. "Seems my head is still all foggy."

"Sounds like you have been overtaxing yourself." Roy slid a hand up Ed's chest to watch as the muscles twitched and shifted under his caress.

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Roy laved his tongue over the nipple his hand wasn't presently tweaking. Ed moaned desperately. "I like to think I know some ways to relieve pent up stress," he murmured against Ed's pecks.

Ed let out a weak chuckle. "Then by all means..."

He looked up, meeting Ed's eyes once more, making certain that he was sure. Ed wore a lopsided smile and leaned down to kiss him.

Alright. That was a resounding yes. He guided them both to lay down over the seat of the couch, Ed under him, their hips slotted together like before with Ed's legs on either side of his own.

The shift ground their erections together once more. Ed lifted his hips, hands resting on the palm of Roy's back in such a dichotomy of sexual and chaste that Roy nearly lost it. He kissed Ed and reached for his thigh, tucking Ed's right knee into the crook of his left elbow to draw them closer.

"You can touch wherever you want, Ed," he used his other hand to graze over the blond's navel. An equally blond trail led under the waist of Ed's trousers, and Roy followed it until he met that barrier just to drive Ed mad. 

Ed reached up to cup Roy's cheek, not even looking as his eyes were shut tight again. Fingers weaved into Roy's trim hair, pulling at it enough to sting in the best possible way. Ed used his other hand to undo the buttons of Roy's shirt. He got through two before just tugging at it to pull it up and over Roy's shoulders. It landed somewhere and was forgotten, their chests pressed together, lips and tongues meeting again.

Roy ran his hand up Ed's side, feeling all manner of scars and muscle. On its descent, he pulled at the buckle to Ed's belt, struggling with just one hand, because the weight of Ed's leg on his left arm was too rewarding to let go. Ed went for Roy's belt, making quick work of it. Fly undone, Ed pushed the slacks over Roy's hips, reaching a hand down the back of his boxers to cup his ass and force a heavy grind.

Roy's vision flashed red. Off went Ed's belt, thrown across the room, and down went the damned trousers and boxers in one motion. Ed gasped, causing Roy to glance up at his face. If anything, the sight caused him to internally damn himself to the deepest pit of hell, because Ed was blushing from his chest; it was the most innocent thing he'd ever seen in his life, and he was going to dive balls deep into Ed within minutes if he had any say on the matter.

He pushed down his own underwear and gathered both of their erections in his hand. Ed moaned in that exact way that he wanted to hear, begging for it without words. He squeezed his fingers around them, relishing just how overwhelmed Ed was becoming. He thrusted his hips, shifting his cock against Ed's. The blond was close. With his free hand, he plucked at one of Ed's pert nipples, thrusting into his fist again.

Ed lifted his hips, seeking more friction that Roy was all too happy to provide. Roy pumped his fist over the two of them, Ed moaning nearly to the point of screaming, his back arched of the couch.

With a thrust and a slide of Roy's hand, Ed came over his belly, gasping for air. And Roy had the privilege of watching Ed come undone.

Ed relaxed back down, blinking up at Roy, blissed out of his mind. Roy took in the sight, and was Ed ever a sight to behold. 

But there was still the problem of his own dick being rock hard, only made more so by the spectacle before him. 

Ed's eyes were closed, but a knowing smile came stretched over his mouth. "You still need to finish, yeah?"

Roy hummed. 

"I bet I'm relaxed enough for you to..." Ed blinked up at him, having realized the words that were about to follow, that blush spreading again. "...to, well..."

"To what?" He teased. 

"Dammit," Ed looked away. "You know what."

"Let me think..." He smiled a kiss to Ed's temple and nuzzled into his ear, "You want me to stretch you open in your most private of places," he let go of their cocks to slide his hand over and under Ed's thigh, reaching to press his fingers to Ed's hole. Ed drew in a quick breath. "And I will," he tongued the rim of Ed's ear, "slowly," dipping it just inside to feel the man squirm, "taking all precautions necessary to make you loose and wanting. With my fingers alone, you'll be reduced to a wanton puddle of nerves." 

Ed shuddered beneath him. 

"You like that?"

A nod, and he felt Ed getting hard against him. He kneaded against the pucker beneath his fingers and was answered with a sharp hiss. He nipped just beneath Ed's jaw, bringing the skin between his lips with a suck. 

"Once I have you in that state," he continued, teasing down the tendons of Ed throat, "I'll sink my cock into you, inch by inch." He plucked at a nipple with his free hand, circling it and pinching it to feel the pectoral muscles tighten above it. "By the time I'm fully sheathed, you'll be a mindless wreck."

"Wordy bastard," Ed breathed. Roy lifted to look at him, and the pure desire etched into Ed's face made him salivate. "You keep going like this, I'll come again and you'll still be hard and wanting."

"Still forming coherent sentences? I'm not doing my job right." Roy drew his hands together and clapped, pressing them to the come on Ed's belly. Sparks of alchemy scattered over the blond's skin, turning the drying mess into a usable lubricant. 

Ed stared at him, eyes blown wide, watching as he laced his fingers in the lube. "That was... please do that every time we fuck."

Roy smirked, "I'm hardly done. I mean," he glanced down over his shoulder, "you're still wearing far too much." He looked back to Ed and saw the man gulp. He clapped once more, static spidering out, and made a perfect cut along each pant leg and down the front of both boots. The clothing fell away as Ed quivered in pleasure. 

Roy slid one hand over Ed's abdomin, gathering a good deal of the lube collected there. "I'll make good on my words, Fullmetal."

Ed stared at him, suddenly alert. It jarred him for a second, about to apologize for his slip of the tongue. 

"Promises, Colonel," Ed said with a feral smirk. 

Ah, Roy's expression changed to match Ed's, Another on switch. Seems it goes both ways, he noted, liking his old title on Ed's lips far more than he'd ever remembered. He leaned down to steal another kiss, probing at Ed's ass with a slicked finger. Ed shifted toward him, spreading his legs wide and circling his arms around Roy's shoulders. 

Roy's finger breached into Ed, working inward digit by digit. The blond tried to hold in a groan of displeasure, but Roy had only to finish entering to find that spot and--

"Aaah! The fuck was that!?"

And if he hadn't already figured it before, that confirmed to Roy that Ed had never been with another man. There was so much to teach and enjoy. He looked down at Ed innocently, or tried to. "What? This?" He visciously dragged his fingertip across Ed's prostate and watched the man tremble. 

Ed caught his breath, "More of that."

"In a moment. But first," he retreated to add another finger, distracting Ed from the tinge of pain by taking a nipple between his tongue and teeth. He felt Ed's chest rise and fall in even counts, though stuttering. 

He rubbed inside Ed again, feeling him jerk. He pressed on the nerve cluster in passes, widening the gap between his fingers, pushing and pulling his hand in deliberate motions. 

Ed moaned open-mouthed as another finger was inserted. Beads of sweat gathered over his skin, and Roy lapped at Ed's collarbone. No more distractions were needed. Ed was moving in tandem with Roy's hand. Roy curled his fingers, drawing them back across Ed's prostate.

"Roy!" Ed pleaded. 

He curled his fingers again. "Hmm?"

"Please," Ed begged, "Colonel, please!"

"Call me that again, Fullmetal," he felt more blood rush south. "See what happens."

Ed cracked open his eyes, shooting a ravaged stare up at him. "Do it, Colonel Bastard, fuck me. I know you always wanted to."

Always throwing a wrench into the works. He's wanted this since back then. The thought filtered through the blaze of lust that pumped into Roy's system. His fingers were collecting the remaining lube left on Ed's stomach and coating his dick before he'd even realized he'd removed them from within Ed. 

The head of his cock pressing against Ed's ass was enough to send a jolt of pleasure down his spine. He delved inside, the tightness sucking him in, caressing him on all sides.

Ed's flesh leg wrapped around his waist, pushing him deeper. The further in he went, the more desperate Ed became, scratching at his shoulder blades, throat exposed and head tilted back, spine arching away from the couch cushions. 

He laved his tongue over Ed's throat, fully seating himself inside. He bit at the flesh there, feeling the vibrations of Ed's voice as it weaved a wordless soliloquy. 

He gripped onto Ed's hips, wanting to bring them as close together as he could. The heat and tightness surrounding his cock was exquisite, only made more appealing by Edward being the source. 

Ed canted against him, and he lost himself in the feeling of pulling away, all the clenched heat replaced by cool air in a slow drag. He dove back in to the hilt.

His name being shouted in ecstacy ran a thrill through his body, and he repaid it by thrusting into Ed again. 

And then Edward understood the dance, pulling away as he did and pushing toward him as he thrusted. 

Thunk. Ed's metal foot planted to the hard floor, pushing his hips up just a bit more. Roy ran his hands up Ed's sides in a smooth unison, wrapping around to hold the man, kissing without holding back. Their tongues brushed alongside the others' in parallel to their sensual grind. 

It wasn't close to enough. Roy lifted them up, repositioning Ed over his lap like before, crossing the blond's ankles behind him, bruises from the automail be damned. Ed's hands carded through his hair, and their bodies fell into place. 

Ed sank down all the way on Roy's arousal, deeper than their previous position could have ever achieved, rousing a subtle moan from Roy's throat. Ed smiled down at him in a way that could only be descibed as warm, hunching forward to meet their lips again. Not invasive, but chaste, massaging Roy's lips with his own. Roy felt Ed raise up, only to lower back down in a purposeful motion that drove them both into rutting. 

He took Ed's ass cheeks in either hand, helping with the bounce. Ed switched his own hold to the back of the couch, aiding them further, and a madness followed. Roy was helpless to the clench at the base of his core, that urge to rush to the finish. He thrust up into Ed with vigor, his whole body trying to levitate, being supported only by his toes on the floor and his shoulders pressing into the back of the couch. Ed was nearly screaming, his body blooming into a deep arch rooted at the point which they were joined. 

A pearl of tension began low inside Roy's body, marking the beginning of the end. He pulled Ed down, thrusting up. He wrapped a fist around Ed's throbbing errection, pumping it and watching the man embrasing him lose all concept of reality. He bottomed out into Ed again and again and the tension within him burst forth, releasing into the spasming heat around him. A hot gush of come splashed over his abdomin, and Ed's weight collected on his body. 

In reflex, he relaxed into the cushions of the couch and wound his arms around Ed's back. Then he remembered how to breath and nuzzled his cheek against Ed's sweat drenched hair. There would be a great deal to discuss later on, but not then. Not at that moment. It was simply the time to bask in the comfort of a fellow human being and breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....I feel this was rushed. Now, I know this is fanfiction, so, I can literally make the characters do whatever, but..... this time, I feel weird about it. This coming from the guy who wrote about a partially incestuous poly relationship (Ed/Al/Winry) in the past, I feel weird about rushing these two idiots into resolving the sexual tension between themselves. Thoughts? Anyone? Or is everybody happy that these two got it out of their systems?


End file.
